CLEARWATER, Fla. — Right-hander Brandon Workman, brought over from minor league camp to get the start against a lineup full of Phillies big league regulars, turned in a solid outing. He mixed a 91-95 mph fastball with a few good curveballs (including one to strike out Chase Utley), and in his last inning, he fired some good cutters and changeups. While his line — three innings, two runs, three hits, two walks, a strikeout — wasn’t memorable, he threw well, with the runs scoring in no small part due to some defensive lapses behind him. Workman felt good about how his stuff played against a lineup, and thrilled with the opportunity — to the point where he walked the leadoff batter in the first.

“It wasn’t so much nerves as it was adrenaline. I was excited to be up there, excited to be throwing in a big league game against big league hitters with big leaguers behind me,” said Workman. “I was excited, left a few balls up, walked the leadoff guy and then was able to make some adjustments, control that adrenaline and start pitching.

“That was really exciting, to go up there and have those guys — obviously I’ve watched them play in World Series and all that stuff. So it was really cool to get up there, get a chance to pitch and get a chance to see how my stuff plays against that caliber of lineup,” he added. “When I was locating and ahead in counts, I thought I did well. I had a couple hitters where I left fastballs up and walked them. Other than two hitters, I thought I had a pretty good outing.”

Workman will open the year in Double-A Portland, but the fact that he had the opportunity to pitch in this game underscores his standing in the organization as a pitcher who projects to make an impact in the big leagues, perhaps as soon as this season or next.